►
Description
Docket #0936 - Hearing to discuss issues relating to water and sewer infrastructure
A
A
Good
evening,
good
evening,
my
name
is
boston
city
council.
At
flynn
I
represent
district
2,
which
includes
southwest
and
the
south
end
chinatown,
the
bay
village
fort
point
south
boston,
waterfront,
most
of
downtown
in
parts
of
the
back
bay
and
parts
of
parts
of
beacon
hill.
I'm
chair
of
the
committee
on
on
city
in
neighborhood
services.
A
A
City
council
at
lodge
michael
flaherty,
I
also
received
a
letter
that
I'd
like
to
read
into
the
into
the
record
from
our
colleague
city
council,
andrea
campbell,
dear
chairman
flynn
and
colleagues
on
this
committee
on
city
and
neighborhood
services.
I
regretfully
cannot
attend
today's
hearing
on
docket
number
0936
order
for
a
hearing
to
discuss
issues
relating
to
water
and
sewer
infrastructure.
A
A
A
A
Thank
you
to
the
panelists
and
my
colleagues
for
being
here.
I
call
this
hearing
to
discuss
the
safety
and
maintenance
of
our
water
and
soil
infrastructure,
which
is
critical
for
the
sanitation
and
public
health
of
our
residents
with
the
recent
development
boom.
We
need
to
ensure
that
the
added
buildings
to
our
water
and
sewer
lines
do
not
over
burn
overburden
the
system
in
that
the
integrity
of
our
infrastructure
is
maintained.
A
A
So
it's
important
that
we
have
a
good
update
on
these
issues.
It's
also
important
for
the
residents
to
know
exactly
the
importance
of
these
quality
of
life
and
public
safety
issues.
Finally,
some
boston
neighborhoods
have
also
alleys
in
sewers,
private,
sewers
and
alleys
that
are
but
commercial
and
residential
properties.
I
know
this
is
an
issue
of
concern.
The
south
end,
the
cost
of
maintenance
and
repair
for
private
alleys
and
sewer
lines
can
be
expensive
and
very
confusing
at
times
for
residents.
A
So
our
water
and
sewer
issues
are
critically
important
for
our
health
quality
of
life
and
safety.
I'm
looking
forward
to
this
conversation.
Thank
you
at
this
time.
I
would
like
to
ask
before
we
get
to
the
panelists.
I
would
like
to
ask
my
colleagues
in
the
order
of
arrival
if
they
would
like
to
offer
opening
statements.
I
would
like
to
start
with
city
council
liz
braden
from
austin
in
brighton
council
braden.
D
D
We
also
had
some
questions
regarding
the
resiliency
of
our
water
and
sur
infrastructure,
particularly
the
treatment
works
out
in
the
harbor
is
a
is
a
question
I
had
as
well.
So
I'm
really
interested
to
listen
to
the
conversation
this
afternoon
and
I
will
ask
questions
as
we
go
along
and
sorry.
I've
got
a
very
large
frog
in
my
throat
right
now.
E
Oh
thank
you,
mr
chair,
and
thank
you
everyone
who's
here
today.
I
look
forward
to
this
hearing
and
especially
look
forward
to
hearing
from
the
district
councillors
specific
to
the
impacts
of
all
of
this
on
their
respective
districts.
I
also
ask
for
your
forgiveness.
I
will
be
leaving
a
little
bit
early
for
another
commitment.
Thank
you.
A
F
F
Basically,
when
we
talk
about
local
services-
and
it
really
is,
you
know
actually
a
lot
of
a
lot
of
large
american
cities,
including
ours,
part
of
what
caused
neighboring
communities
to
be
annexed
to
them
a
hundred
years
ago
was
the
promise
of
a
sewer
and
that
kind
of
shared
public
infrastructure
that
could
actually
make
everybody's
lives
a
lot
better.
So
I
really
appreciate
the
legacy
of
this
work
and
just
how
fundamental
it
is
to
all
of
our
constituents
lives
every
day.
F
G
Thank
you,
mr
chairman.
Obviously
I've
got
a
couple
of
meetings
that
I
have
to
attend
as
well,
so
this
is
very
timely.
It's
good
to
see
john
sullivan,
and
I
want
to
give
a
shout
out
to
henry
vitale.
I
think,
as
a
public
servant
he's,
arguably
probably
one
of
the
the
best
and
most
responsive
that
I've
encountered
in
my
entire
career
as
the
the
longest
serving
council.
G
G
I
know
that
we
do
have
programs
available,
not
enough
folks,
take
advantage
of
that,
but
want
to
make
sure
that
we're
doing
the
best
we
can
to
provide
the
best
water
and
obviously
soar
like
we
do
and
it's
another
leadership
of
the
folks
that
are
there
and
john.
Obviously,
here
is
one
of
the
top
officials
there
and-
and
I
just
want
to
give
a
shout
out
as
well
to
henry
vitale.
G
But
while
we
have
john
in
our
presence
and
because
we
won't
be
able
to
have
a
hearing
once
our
last
council
meeting
adjourns
until
the
new
year
and
may
make
sense
for
water
and
so
just
to
maybe
give
a
couple
minutes
of
their
time
to
addressing
that
issue
so
that
the
public,
particularly
members
of
the
council
sort
of
know,
have
the
facts.
If
you
will
have
the
facts
so
that
we
could
advise
folks
that
are
calling
our
offices.
Thank
you,
mr
chairman.
A
A
H
Sure
counselor-
and
you
know
thank
you
very
much
for
inviting
the
water
and
sewer
commission
to
present
what
we
do.
I
think
it
was
stated
several
times,
but
it's
absolutely
true.
The
water
and
sewer
systems
are
the
foundation
of
any
modern
city.
You
know
if
they
grind
to
a
halt.
If
you
have
no
water
for
firefighting
for
sanitation,
if
you've
got
flooding,
if
you've
got
sewage,
backups
you,
you
can't
live
that
way.
H
The
good
news
is,
nobody
pays
attention
to
us
if
all
is
going
well,
unfortunately,
it's
when
a
disruption
occurs
that
everyone
is
reminded
how
important
we
are
tonight.
What
I
wanted
to
do
is
is
give
a
little
background.
I
read
the
order
itself
and
there's
a
couple
of
issues
in
the
order
that
I
thought,
if
we
could,
you
know,
share
it,
share
a
screen.
We
could
go
ahead
and
take
a
look
at
give
me
one
second,
to
pull
it
up.
I'm
assuming
everyone
can
see
that.
A
I
A
H
I
showed
this
really
quickly.
A
lot
of
the
city
is
filled
land.
You
see
this
in
the
circular
area.
The
dark
green
is
what
the
original
boston
was.
All
that
light
green
is
filled
in
land
and
what
makes
that
important
is
filled
in
land.
If
you
want
to
build
a
building,
you
need
to
support
those
buildings
with
wooden
piles
and
those
wooden
piles.
If
they're
going
to
stay
in
good
shape
need
to
be
remain
wet
at
all
times
and
that
will
get
us
into
the
groundwater
discussion.
H
This
is
our
city
today.
The
beauty
is
this
is
what
we
get
to
enjoy,
but
we
need
to
pay
attention
to
everything:
that's
underground,
the
current
water
supply
to
boston
for
those
that
need
to
be
reminded
of
it.
Many
of
us
know
it
comes
all
the
way
from
the
carbon
reservoir
which
is
65
miles
away.
It's
a
marvel
of
engineering.
H
H
The
question
about
consumption
with
all
the
new
building
can
we
handle
it.
If
you
take
a
look
at
this
graph,
1980
down
to
2019,
we
were
over
our
safe
yield
supply.
We
can
supply
that
reservoir
can
supply
easily
300
million
gallons
a
day
with
no
problems
at
all,
but
we
were
running
around
320
at
our
max
310
in
this
slide
and
over
the
years,
boston,
water
and
sewer
and
all
the
other
communities
have
worked
hard,
along
with
state
building
code,
changes
to
reduce
the
amount
of
water
being
used
by
the
system.
H
H
This
is
boston's
water
use.
If
you
take
a
look
at
1901,
is
on
your
left-hand
side.
Over
the
years
we
continually
use
more
and
more
water.
You
can
see
we
were
peaking,
and
this
is
one
of
the
problems
and
the
reason
the
commission
was
created
in
1976.
We
were
using
151
million
gallons
a
day
in
2019,
we
use
62.13
million
gallons
a
day
that
assures
us
that
we
will
have
adequate
water
supply
for
our
residents.
H
This
is
our
consumption
trend.
Just
want
to
show
you
that
we
keep
working
on
it.
The
blue
lines
are
the
total
water
we
bought
and
the
red
lines
are
what
we
sold
and
the
rest
is
lost.
Water
is
what
we
call
unaccounted
for
water.
A
lot
of
it
is
used
for
firefighting,
for
street
sweeping
etc.
In
in
the
construction
activities
we
have.
But
the
idea
is
you
want
that
as
small
as
possible,
you
want
to
be
productive.
You
want
to
have
great
efficiencies
in
the
water
you
buy
and
we're
getting
there.
H
H
The
age
of
the
water
means
everyone
talks
about
how
old
they
are
well,
we
do
have
some
old
water
means.
You
can
see,
we
still
operate
water
mains,
the
oldest
one,
is
1848
it's
under
the
boston
common.
It
was
the
original
pipe
put
in
when
they
had
the
great
celebration
when
they
first
introduced
public
water
to
the
city
of
boston,
that's
in
there
and
it's
in
great
shape.
H
Just
because
a
water
main
is
old,
doesn't
mean
it
isn't
useful.
The
the
problem
we
have
with
the
water
mains
is
corrosion,
not
age.
It's
the
corrosion
that
works
on
the
wall
thickness
that
slowly
eats
away
at
it.
That
makes
it
weaker
and
that's
the
big
key.
So
just
because
we
have
old
pipes
that
doesn't
mean
anything
as
far
as
the
operation
of
them
and
we
just
put
the
wars
so
that
everybody
can
see
where
they
were.
We
have
pipes
before
the
civil
war,
water
main
breaks
per
year.
This
is
a
huge
number.
H
The
average
amount
of
water
main
breaks
according
to
the
water
research
foundation
is
250
brakes
per
thousand
miles
of
pipe.
We
have
about
a
thousand
miles
of
pipe.
You
can
see
here
from
1993
to
now.
We
have
been
averaging
in
in
between
35
and
40
water
main
breaks
a
year.
It's
virtually
nothing
now.
The
good
news
and
bad
news
is
in
other
cities,
since
they
have
so
many
it's
old
news.
Nobody
ever
sees
it
on
the
news
with
us
one
good
water
break.
That's
all
the
news.
H
The
sewer
system
was
the
pride
of
the
day
we
used
to
just
run
the
sewage
and
with
the
drainage
right
into
the
harbor
all
along
the
harbor.
That's
why
no
one
wanted
to
live
along
the
waterfronts
and
you
would
just
flush
and
down
it
would
go
when
they
started
in
1878
building
the
brand
new
system
of
pumping
storage
and,
of
course,
we
simply
pumped
it
over
the
moon
island
and
then
let
it
go
in
the
outgoing
tides.
It
was
the
civic
pride
everyone
was,
it
thought
it
was
important.
H
It
was
the
best
thing
going
and
here
are
some
pictures
of
people
celebrating
the
fact
that
the
best
brick
masons
in
the
world
aren't
in
showing
our
cathedrals,
etc.
They're
in
our
sewers,
the
sanitary
storm
water
system
is
over
1500
miles
of
wastewater,
there's
a
bunch
of
catch
basins,
and
you
can
see
all
that
data
a
lot
of
things
that
we
need
to
work
on
the
age
of
the
system.
H
Of
course
you
talk
about
in
europe.
Those
things
go
back
six
seven,
eight
hundred
years
our
major
products
projects
in
the
commission
for
our
capital
are
water
main
replacement,
sewer
drain.
We
also
separate
a
lot
of
sewers.
We
have
combined
sewers
that
are
designed
to
take
sewage
and
storm
water
in
the
same
pipe
and
the
problem
with
that
is
when
it
rains
out
real
hard.
They
overflow
into
the
harbor.
So
we've
been
doing
a
lot
of
work
over
the
past
20
30
years.
H
Separating
these
things
out,
we
have
active
sewer
separation
in
roxbury,
active
ones
in
east
boston,
we're
running
around
taking
illegal
connections
where
the
house
sewers
are
illegally
connected
to
drain
lines.
We
walk
around
taking
those
out,
and
these
are
just
the
major
projects
that
the
commission
currently
is
undertaking
in
our
latest
capital
improvement
program
which,
when
approved
by
our
commissioners,
will
be
on
our
website.
H
We
have
major
preventive
maintenance
programs,
and
this
is
the
key
to
running
any
system.
The
last
thing
you
want
to
do
is
let
something
wear
out,
and
so
you
have
to
put
a
brand
new
one
in
you
always
want
to
be
working
on
the
pipes.
You
always
want
to
be
cleaning
them,
flushing
them
making
sure
they
work
fine,
and
if
there
is
a
defect
you
want
to
be
able
to
get
in
there
and
fix
the
one
little
defects,
so
the
whole
system
doesn't
fail.
H
H
We
do
about
six
60
miles
of
sewer
a
year,
at
least
as
a
minimum,
and
at
the
end
of
10
years
we
will
have
looked
inside
every
single
pipe
and
we
will
know
the
condition
of
them
all.
We
maintain
rain
gauges
throughout
the
city
because
of
the
climate
change,
it
is
changing.
We
have
a
system
where
we
can
check
water
in
five
minute
increments.
We
are
the
only
city
we
know
of
that
checks
it
in
five
minute
increments.
Everyone
else
is
in
15
minutes
and
we
inspect
our
manholes.
H
Looking
for
potential
problems,
the
issue
of
private
sewers
and
private
alleys
came
up
as
far
as
we
know.
Best
from
we
can
get
from
our
records
is
just
shy
of
six
miles
of
sanitary,
sewers
in
private
alleys
that
serve
multiple
connections,
multiple
homes
and,
and
they
are
all
over
the
city-
there's
not
just
one
place
in
the
city
that
doesn't
have
me
even
in
west
roxbury.
We
have
a
bunch
of
septic
systems
and
some
of
these
private
sewers
up
in
that
area
the
commission
to
deal
with
that.
H
We
passed
a
betterment
assessment
charge.
You
can,
through
our
policy,
apply
to
us
and
we
will
we'll
do
a
study
figure
out
what
it
would
take
to
put
in
a
brand
new
pipe
and
we
offer
25.
We
will
pay
for
it
and
then
we
have
the
homeowners
pay
the
remaining
75
percent
of
the
cost
of
putting
in
the
sewer,
but
from
that
time
on
we
own
the
sewer
now
believe
it
or
not
all
the
sewers
or
most
consumers
in
the
city
of
boston.
This
is
how
we
extended
them.
H
We
we
had
this
policy,
it's
an
old
city
policy.
When
the
commission
was
formed
in
77,
there
was
none
at
the
boston,
water
sewer.
It
took
us
about
20
years
when
several
people
approached
us
to
come
in
this.
So
we
have
a
policy
any
of
these
alleys.
If
they
meet
certain
criteria
can
apply
under
the
betterment
system
and
we
can
extend
the
sewer
system
and
we
will
own
it
from
then
on
the
boston,
groundwater
trust
we
work
with
them
very
closely.
H
Monitoring
the
wells
a
lot
of
times,
you'll
have
problems,
and
why
would
we
get
involved
well
what's
interesting
about?
It
is
there's
the
picture
again
of
the
back
bay
field
area
any
place
here
if
the
groundwater
is
leaking
into
a
tunnel
or
into
sewers,
and
it
doesn't
have
to
be
just
the
boston,
water,
sewer
infrastructure.
H
I
do
point
out
that
is
part
of
our
enabling
legislation.
It
actually
says
that
we
are
not
imposed
to
maintain
groundwater
levels.
However,
we
know
it's
so
very
important
for
the
vibrancy
of
this
city
that
we
keep
the
groundwater
high,
that
we
keep
all
the
systems
working
well
and
and
depressed.
Groundwater
can
also
have
other
things
we
can
depress
groundwork.
It
can
cause
some
of
our
pipes
to
settle
also,
we
are
always
doing
water
quality
improvements
to
the
harbor.
H
The
illegal
connections,
as
I
mentioned,
the
separation
of
house
laterals,
we're
bringing
up
some
other
things
in
the
arboretum,
we're
looking
to
build
some
constructed
wetlands
we
build
rain
gardens.
We
always
brought
up
about
green
infrastructure,
which
we
can
go
into
further
in
questions,
but
this
is
just
some
of
the
things
we're
touching
on
stormwater.
H
H
You
can
pay
us
directly
for
the
rest
of
it
or
you
can
have
an
interest-free
payment
over
48
months
leak
up
to
owner.
We
will
go
in
if
there's
a
leak
in
the
front
lawn,
and
you
can't
get
your
own
contractor,
we
will
go
in
there.
We
will
perform
the
work
and
we
give
them
interest-free
payments
over
24
months
and,
finally,
the
sewer
lateral
assistance
program,
as
shown
in
this
little
diagram
in
the
red.
That's
the
lateral
coming
from
your
house
out
to
the
main
street.
H
Most
people
don't
know
they
own
it.
They
generally
find
out
they
own
it
when
the
sewage
backs
up
in
the
house,
and
we
go
try
to
help
them
out
so
many
times
it
costs
oh
upwards
of
eight
nine
thousand
dollars.
We
give
a
grant
up
to
four
thousand
dollars
to
the
homeowner
after
they
go
through
certain
procedures
to
get
an
approved
contractor
to
vote
and
repair
the
work,
there's
a
bigger
picture
of
the
sewer
lateral.
H
So
these
are
our
contact
numbers
I'll.
Just
leave
this
up
for
a
second
24
hour,
seven
days
a
week,
365,
that's
our
phone
number!
You
can
get
us
any
time.
You
can
also
call
the
mayor's
office.
They
know
how
to
get
us
hold
of
us
right
away
too
the
lead
line.
I
put
that
number
up
there
we're
leaving
that
out
and
we're
giving
notice
to
all
of
our
residents
if
they
have
any
questions
of
all
about
lead.
Please
contact
us
if
they
want
to
know.
H
A
Thank
you.
Thank
you,
john,
that
was
very
helpful,
was
informative
and
I'm
sure
was
very
informative
for
the
residents
that
are
listening
on
cable
television.
So
thank
you,
john
and
as
michael
flaherty
council
flaherty
mentioned.
I
also
wanted
to
highlight
the
the
work
of
henry
vitale
for
being
very
responsive
to
the
residents
of
the
city.
So
thank
you
to
henry
and
thank
you,
john
for
that
presentation,
and
for
working
closely
with
the
residents
on
this
important
issue.
You're
right.
A
J
Thank
you,
counselor.
Thank
you
for
everybody,
that's
attending
tonight.
I
appreciate
the
opportunity
to
participate
and
be
here
just
really
echoing
on
john's
sentiments.
You
know
we.
We
worked
together
very
closely
on
this
and
john
certainly
pointed
out
in
the
commission.
Obviously
what
they
have
stipulated.
J
They
are
not
responsible
for
maintaining
water,
but
in
2005
they
they
came
together
with
all
the
other
agencies
that
have
below-grade
infrastructure
and
signed
a
memorandum
of
understanding
that
created
the
city,
state,
groundwater,
working
group
and,
ultimately,
that's
really
where
all
the
work
is
done.
We
meet
every
quarter.
I
get
up,
I
you
know
give
my
spiel
on
where
the
groundwater
levels
are,
and
then
we
go
around
the
room
and
you
know
we
see
who
has
what
where
and
where
the
areas
are
low.
J
Those
entities
work
to
investigate
and
if,
if
it's,
if
they're
responsible
and
they
find
infrastructure-
that's
compromised,
they
fix
it,
and
that's
that's
really
been
the
group
that
has
gotten
the
most
work
done
and
has
really
helped
us
raise
and
maintain
the
water
table.
You
know
we're
going
to
need
to
monitor
we're
going
to
need
to
do
this
in
perpetuity.
As
long
as
these
buildings
are
on
pile,
so
we're
going
to
need
to
monitor
the
levels
and
things
are
going
to
break
you
know,
I
I
make
the
comparison
it.
J
It's
like
owning
a
home,
something
always
breaks,
whether
it's
a
washing
machine
or
a
dishwasher
or
a
dryer.
Whatever
you
know,
the
home
needs
to
be
maintained
and
that's
ultimately,
what
we
do
so
happy
to
be
here
again,
as
I
mentioned,
and
certainly
answer
any
questions.
Anybody
has
also,
if
anybody
wants
me
to
pull
up
any
graphics
I'll,
be
happy
to
do
that
as
well.
A
Thank
you
christian
and
I
had
a
great
opportunity
to
visit
in
east
boston.
Actually
last
year
they
installed
the
groundwater.
I
was
with
you
in
and
it
took
several
several
hours,
but
the
dedicated
team
there
did
a
tremendous
job
and
it
was
great
learning
about
the
process
of
installing
installing
that
system.
So
I
wanted
to
say
thank
you
to
you
and
the
in
the
team
and
in
your
working
relationship
with
the
water
and
saw
commission.
A
D
H
So
much
of
the
system
was
built
over
the
years,
based
on
a
what
we
call
a
10-year
design
storm,
a
storm
that
we
would
assume.
That
would
happen
every
10
years
and
of
course
you
hear
in
the
news
about
the
100-year
event
and
the
500-year
event.
Well,
in
a
case
of
a
100-year
storm
event,
where
that's
precipitation,
you
say
we
have
ten
inches
of
rain.
There
will
be
flooding
because
our
system
isn't
designed
to
take
it.
H
Our
system
is
designed
to
take
what
we
call
this
the
ten-year
event
which
is
about
five
and
a
half
inches
of
rain.
So
we
can
handle
that
really,
no
problem.
We
are
studying
right
now,
places
where
we
can
store
rainwater
places
where
we
can,
like
the
arnold
arboretum,
some
of
the
golf
courses
where
we
have
green
infrastructure
going
in
across
the
city
where
everyone
that
builds
in
the
city
of
boston,
since
1996
has
been
required
to
hold
the
first
inch
of
rain
in
their
yards
somewhere
underground,
there's
a
little
storage.
Now.
H
It
is
not
up
on
our
website,
yet
it
should
be
up
there
by
perhaps
the
end
of
this
week,
maybe
next
week,
where
we've
analyzed
that
we
have
the
most
advanced
model,
we've
analyzed
the
impact
of
rainfalls
up
to
the
year
500
year,
event
on
the
city
of
boston,
and
I
can
make
sure
that
each
of
the
councils
get
a
link
to
that,
and
you
know,
there's
a
storyboard
and
you'll
be
able
to
see
what
will
happen
to
us.
You
can't
prevent
the
very
very
large
hundred
year
storms,
you
can't
prevent
them.
H
We
need
to
deal
with
them
and
our
issues
are,
we
will
deal
with
them
and
we
will
recover
so
the
key
with
us
is:
how
fast
can
we
recover?
How
can
we
get
back
up
back
up
and
running,
and
and
also
we
want
to
make
sure
that
the
city
can
keep
their
streets
open?
We
need
to
be
able
to
tell
the
emergency
management
people
if
certain
streets
are
going
to
flood
you
they're
impassable.
H
They
need
to
know
that
ahead
of
time
for
the
ambulance
services
to
police,
the
fire,
so
we're
working
closely
with
the
city
on
climate
change,
adaptation,
we're
monitoring
the
rainfalls,
we're
collecting
data.
We
have
the
most
up-to-date
model
on
the
rainfall
and
and,
as
I
said,
we
can
share
that
with
you.
D
That's
very
good.
I'm
excited
to
see
that
I
we
have
a
rain
garden
in
our
backyard.
We
if
we
had,
we
were
plagued
with
flooding
in
our
basement
for
years,
and
so
we
we
take
all
our
rainfall,
all
the
water
from
our
roof.
Instead
of
going
into
the
storms,
it
goes
down
into
the
backyard
and
we
have
a
rain
garden.
That
means
we
don't
have
to
use
any
hoses
all
summer,
so
it
works
very
well,
but
that's
my
own
little
domestic
scale,
stormwater
management
system
right
here.
D
H
So
that
facility
is
actually
designed
to
with
the
rising
sea
level
in
mind.
It
is
already
raised
when
they
built
it
back
several
years
ago.
It
is
owned
and
operated
by
the
massachusetts
water
resources
authority.
We
don't
run
it,
we,
we
transport
our
wastewater
there
and
they
run
it,
but
we
we
discuss
with
them
at
least
twice
a
month.
This
whole
climate
adaptation.
H
What
we'll
do
because
we're
so
reliant
on
them,
and
we
are
confident
that
they
will
be
able
to
continue
to
run
that
it
should
be
easy
if
they
need
to
build
additional
walls
around
it,
but
right
now
it
can
withstand
the
the
100-year
flood,
I
believe
in
the
year
2030
or
2050
and
they're
monitoring
it
as
we're
monitoring
it.
So
it's
collective
group
of
people,
including
the
city
of
boston,
the
mayor's
office
working
with
their
environment
and
the
bpda.
D
A
F
Thank
you.
Thank
you,
mr
chairman.
My
first
question
really
is
you
know,
I'm
encouraged
to
hear
what
you
just
mentioned
about
thinking
about
how
we're
gonna
prepare
for
for
sea
level
rise,
and
I
guess
one
of
the
things
I
alluded
to
in
my
open
opening
statement
that
I'm
most
curious
about
is
how,
in
terms
of
how
boston,
water
and
sewer
does
its
work
and
its
sort
of
routine
updates
like
to
what
extent
is
the
is
bwsc
itself
expecting
to
sort
of
integrate.
F
H
H
We
have
many
studies
which
I
can
share
with
you
on
what
we're
going
to
do
with
the
green
infrastructure
of
the
city.
We
have
been
studying
this
for
the
last
seven
years.
We
have
three
pilots.
Central
square
in
east
boston
is
a
pilot
with
all
types
of
different
green
infrastructure
that
we've
been
maintaining
to
see
how
well
it
works
and
what
works
best
in
the
city.
H
Audubon
circle
is
one
that
we're
actually
running
tests
university
of
new
hampshire
is
running
tests
to
see
how
well
that's
working
to
hold
the
first
inch
of
of
rain,
and
what
does
it
take
to
maintain
these?
Everyone
says:
let's
build
them
the
life
we
believe
the
life
cycle
in
these
may
be
only
15
years,
where
normally
everything
else
we
build
is
a
hundred
year
life
cycle.
H
So
we
we
need
to
change
the
way
we
think
we
have
been
working
with
like,
for
instance,
boston
college
has
a
huge
green
infrastructure
system
set
up
on
the
old
seminary
grounds,
and
we've
been
working
with
them
over
the
years
and
the
key
now
is
to
figure
out.
When
do
they
need
to
be
replaced,
and
how
do
we
possibly
maintain
these
and
what
is
the
cost
of
doing
that
maintenance?
So
we
have
a
ton
of
studies
where
we
need
to
we're
under
consent
order
to
remove
phosphorus
from
the
charles
river.
H
H
F
H
And
we
do
work
with
public
works.
I
know
we're
working
down
to
new
england
avenue.
The
entire
street
is
a
green
infrastructure
street
and
then
we're
going
to
see
how
do
we
maintain
that
also
the
issue
of
green
infrastructure?
If
we
do
it
right
and
bring
the
water
under
the
trees,
we
can
take
care
of
the
heat
island
effect,
which
is
another
important
part
that
we're
working
with
the
city
on
the
best
place.
To
do.
H
Green
infrastructure,
though,
is
on
private
property,
there's
more
land,
and
so
we
need
to
think
of
a
way
we
can
get
public
private
partnerships
with
them
and
whether
we
put
the
grant
out
to
build
the
thing
and
that
they
maintain
it
in
the
future.
So
we
benefit
as
a
city
they
benefit
because
they
get
the
thing
built
for
them
and
if
we
ever
wind
up
with
a
stormwater
fee
in
the
future,
there'd
be
discounts
on
that
stormwater
fee,
because
they're
taking
care
of
the
problem.
F
That's
great
yeah
and
I'd
love
to
talk
at
some
point
about
the
phosphorus
issue.
So
I
know
I've
got
the
muddy
river
running
through
my
district
and
I
know
it's
one
of
the.
I
think
it's
the
second
most
polluted
tributary
of
the
charles,
but
I
didn't
know
with
that
is
the
phosphorus
issue
is
that
coming
from
the
rivers
or
is
that
coming
from
other
just
like
storm
water
overflow
into
the
river
or
what
what's
the
source
of
that
problem?.
H
H
We've
got
several
consultants
out
right
now,
working
in
the
whole
district
tributary
to
the
charles
to
find
and
locate
these
and
make
the
repairs,
and
fortunately
our
commissioners
have
always
funded
what
we
need
to
make
the
necessary
repairs
right
away,
not
putting
it
off
for
five
years.
Do
it
now.
H
Well,
because
everything
was
done
on
on
tabletop
exercises,
we
have
a
consultant
right
now
we're
testing
everywhere,
including
the
muddy
river.
We
we
hired
in
the
fence,
gate
houses.
We
will
be
putting
in
devices
trying
to
figure
out.
Is
there
a
way
we
can
actually
purify
the
water
for
the
phosphorus
university
of
new
hampshire
claims
that
they
have
a
way
to
measure
it
better?
So
we
need
to
measure
where
it's
coming,
so
we
can
go
solve
the
problem
right
now.
Everyone
says
it's
city-wide.
H
We
don't
believe
that
we
believe
that
a
couple
of
storm
drains
may
be
the
bad
actors
and
if
we
spend
a
lot
of
money
on
those
we'll
take
care
of
the
problem,
so
we've
got
many
studies
underway
and
what
we
want
to
make
sure
is.
We
spend
the
public
money
wisely.
We
want
to
make
sure
we
know
what
we're
doing
make
sure
you
understand
the
problem
before
you
try
to
solve
the
problem.
G
Thank
you,
mr
chairman,
john
just
a
couple
questions.
I
know
you
touched
a
little
bit
about
it
in
the
presentation
with
respect
to
sort
of
the
the
lead
pipe
issue.
If
you
can
maybe
just
touch
a
little
bit
about
what
programs
we
have
available
to
help
homeowner
and
ratepayers
remove
the
pipes.
That's
the
first
question.
G
We
can
handle
that
there's
so
many
folks
that
may
not
be
in
a
position
either
financially
to
absorb
a
major
project
like
that
and
then,
lastly,
really
more
of
a
southwest
corner,
but
on
the
irrigation
systems,
folks
that
have
sprinklers
they
get
charged
for
the
water
and
the
sore,
and
I
was
wondering
if
there
was
a
way
that
clearly
we
need
to
charge
them
for
the
water
usage.
But
if
that
water
is
not
entering
a
source
system,
it's
almost
kind
of
getting
like
a
double
bang.
G
So
very
much
like
we're
sort
of
we're
holding
the
private
way
people
accountable
to
sort
of
make
those
repairs.
It's
almost
like
we're
kind
of
having
a
boat
ways
we're
having
the
private
way.
People
do
do
something
one
way,
but
then,
when
it
comes
to
sort
of
irrigation,
sprinkler
systems,
we're
kind
of
double
charging
people,
so
I'm
hoping
that
we
can
sort
of
find
some
middle
ground
on
both
of
those
to
bring
bring
relief
to
to
homeowners
and
repays
across
the
city.
H
Console
well
on
the
sprinkler
systems
right
off
the
bat
we
have
a
program,
you
can
get
an
abatement
meter
for
for
your
underground
sprinkler
systems.
The
program
is
in
existence,
and
I
can
get
some
more
information
to
you
about
that.
So
we
we
do
allow
people
to
get
the
rebate
on
the
sewer
charge.
If
it
doesn't
go
back
to
the
sewer,
you
don't
pay
for
it,
so
that
that's
already
set
up
on
the
lead
pipes.
It's
important
to
note.
There
is
no
lead
in
the
water
mains
running
up
and
down
your
streets.
H
There
is
no
lead
in
that
water.
It's
lead-free
water.
The
problem
is
water
corrodes
and
although
we
have
adjusted
the
ph
of
the
water,
the
acidity
of
the
water
to
minimize
the
corrosion,
if
it
sits
inside
a
pipe
long
enough-
and
it
could
be
a
copper
pipe
or
lead
pipe
or
any
type
of
pipe,
it
will
leach,
it
will
corrode
the
pipe
and
what's
happening
in
the
city.
Is
those
people
that
have
lead
pipes,
service
pipes
into
their
homes?
H
It
sits
there
overnight
for
six
hours
and
it
can
have
an
increased
level
of
lead
there.
There's
a
very
simple
solution:
if
you
run
the
water
in
the
morning
really
quick
for
up
to
two
minutes-
and
you
can
tell
it's
been
about
two
minutes-
it
gets
really
cold.
The
water
in
the
pipes
is
really
cold
in
out
in
our
street.
H
H
Boston.
Water
sewer
has
been
replacing
lead
pipes
for
years,
even
before
with
the
public
works
department.
Right
now
we
don't
have
any
publicly
known
lead
pipes.
We
have
about
three
thousand
pipes
that
we
don't
know
what
what
the
material
is
could
be
lead.
It's
probably
copper,
and
we
have
a
program
that
we're
starting
up
right
now
to
find
out
those
three
thousand.
We
will
determine
and
make
sure
there
is
no
public
led
services.
H
Now,
when
I
say
public
led
that's
only
to
the
back
edge
of
sidewalk,
the
homeowner
owns
it
from
the
back
edge
of
sidewalk
into
the
building.
So
we
know
that
right
now
we
know
there's
about
4
000
of
those
that
are
led.
We
send
them
a
letter
every
year.
We
urge
them
to
take
it.
There's
a
program
we'll
give
you
two
thousand
dollars
towards
that
removal.
H
We'll
do
the
work
with
you
and
you
can
get
four
years
to
pay
us
back,
we'll
put
it
on
the
water
bill
and
we're
gonna
continue
to
push
that.
We
are
urging
people.
If
you
don't
know
what
your
pipe
is
and
it's
coming
through
the
wall,
two
options:
one
scrape
the
pipe
with
the
knife.
Just
nice
and
gently
don't
cut
through
it.
H
If
it
looks
like
a
nickel,
you
got
a
lead
pipe
if
it
looks
like
a
penny,
you've
got
a
copper
pipe,
that's
how
straightforward
it
is
and
if
it
looks
like
blue
plastic
to
begin
with,
hold
your
knife.
So
that's
what
we
can
do,
but
if
you
don't
want
to
do
that,
call
us,
we
will
come
to
your
house
we'll
do
all
the
precautions
with
the
covert
etc,
but
we
will
check
it
out.
H
Most
people
way
back
when
paid
an
assessment
to
have
these
pipes
put
on
the
ground.
The
city's
old
assessment
policy
was
25
paid
for
by
the
city.
75
was
paid
for
by
each
of
the
homeowners.
It
generally
went
on
your
tax
bill
and
you
paid
it
over
20
years
30
years
and
that's
how
most
of
the
sewers
in
the
city
went
in.
That's
what
our
betterment
policy
does
it's
it's
similar
to
what
the
city
did
forever
if
you've
got
a
private
sewer,
if
there's
multiple
places,
and
if
it's
public
way
open
up.
H
If
it's
a
private
way
open
a
public
travel,
we
will
come
out,
we
will
design
it
after
we
receive
a
petition,
we'll
tell
you
how
much
money
it
will
cost.
You
it'll
tell
you
how
much
you
can
pay
it
over
so
many
years
and
we
go
through
all
of
that.
We'll
put
up
the
first
25
of
the
money
and
we
will
build
it
if
the
vote
of
the
of
the
group
in
the
private
way
wants
it.
H
So
we
have
a
system
for
all
of
these
things
and-
and
you
know,
trying
to
always
work
with
the
homeowners
recently
curlew
street
in
west
roxbury.
They
went
in,
they
did
the
petition.
We
built
a
brand
new
system
for
them
pawn
street
in
the
south
end.
Likewise,
they
they
petitioned
us.
We
analyzed
it
came
up
with
the
price
and
built
them
a
new
solar
system.
G
A
A
John
just
wanted
to
follow
up
on
the
issue
that
we
dealt
with
over
the
weekend,
where
we
informed
residents
about
the
precautions
to
take
in
terms
of
running
the
water
for
one
to
two
minutes.
Can
you
talk
about
the
public
awareness
campaign
that
water
and
sewer
will
do
or
will
continue
to
do?
What
is
the
best
way
to
reach
residents
that
are
often
hard
to
hard
to
reach
at
times
and
whether
it's
through
social
media
or
phone
calls,
or
how
are
you
engaging
the
residents.
H
H
The
key
we
need
people
to
know
is
number
one
we're
there.
If
you
need
us
to
come
in
and
take
a
look
at
your
particular
home,
we
will
check
that
out
and
see
what
we've
got.
That's
number
one
number
two
is
we're,
urging
everyone
flush
the
water
after
it's
sat
in
the
pipe
now,
the
regulatory
requirement
of
the
copper
is
is
up
over
a
thousand
parts
per
billion,
yet
our
numbers
are
coming
in
at
three
or
four
hundred.
H
H
You
want
to
flush
that
so
water
corrodes,
whatever
vessel
it's
in
it
leeches
stuff
in
you,
don't
need
to
be
drinking
that
just
flush
it
out
and
and
off
it
goes,
and
so
that's
what
we'll
be
doing
we'll
be
going
around
everywhere.
We
will
have
a
plan
when
our
plan
is
approved
by
dep.
We
can
certainly
give
all
the
counselors
a
copy
of
the
plan.
So
you'll
see
exactly
what
we're
planning
on
doing.
A
J
Yeah
I
mean
we,
you
know
when
I
first
started
here
20
years
ago.
We
had
about
150
monitoring
wells
throughout
the
city
and
we
were
just
starting
to
get
a
handle
on
where
the
water
table
was,
and
we
didn't
have
enough
coverage
at
that
time
to
give
us
a
real,
accurate
picture
on
the
areas
that
we
needed
to
be
paying
attention
to.
J
For
a
period
of
about
six
years,
we
worked
to
install
over
600
wells
to
build
out
the
network
that
we
have
now
to
just
over
800
wells,
so
we
have
707
wells
on
this
side
of
the
city
and
then
roughly
73
wells
in
east
boston.
So
the
coverage
that
we
have
is
is
is
great.
We
basically
have
a
well
in
every
corner
in
the
mid
block.
J
J
Unfortunately,
those
records
aren't
that
complete,
but
we've
worked
pretty
hard
over
the
past
decade
to
pull
together
as
much
information
as
we
could
on
buildings,
and
we've
used
that,
coupled
with
our
water
level,
measurements
coupled
with
the
efforts
at
the
city
state
ground
working
group
to
target
the
specific
areas
that
may
have
depleted
levels
work
with
those
entities
and
help
you
know
fix
whatever
they
have.
You
know
john
mentioned
about
the
removing
the
phosphorus.
J
J
So
you
know
the
establishment
of
the
groundwater
conservation
overlay
district
was
really
really
important
to
one
get
water
back
in
the
ground
through
the
recharge
system.
So,
instead
of
having
to
go
into
john's
systems
or
instead
of
having
it
just
go
into
the
sidewalk
and
ultimately
end
up
in
the
in
the
in
the
catch
basins
and
the
sewers
and
the
storm
drains
and
the
gutter
go
back
into
the
ground
to
help
reach
us
the
groundwater.
But
the
second
most
you
know
important
component
of
that
is
the
no
harm
component.
J
So
you
know
you
mentioned
new
construction
in
the
city
being
able
to
handle
the
amount
of
infrastructure.
That's
coming
in
for
new
buildings,
which
is
important
from
our
point
of
view,
is
how
those
are
built
somebody
comes
in
and
they
want
to
put
in
a
skyscraper.
They
want
to
put
in
three
levels
of
underground
parking.
If
that's
in
the
g
card
that
is
now
designed
to
be
watertight
and
we
have
a
an
engineer
essentially
stamp
a
plan.
What's
called
the
no
harm,
no
harm
letter
and
what
that
does.
J
Is
it
details
how
the
construction
is
going
to
be
designed
and
constructed
to
not
negatively
impact
the
groundwater
tables?
So
no
sump
pumps,
no
underdrains,
nothing!
That's
going
to
have
a
negative
impact
on
the
water
table,
in
other
words,
not
hamper
all
the
efforts
that
we're
trying
to
do
to
raise
and
maintain
the
levels
moving
forward.
For
us,
one
of
the
bigger
challenges
is
going
to
be
in
the
residential
areas,
people
that
are
digging
down
to
put
in
underground
parking.
J
You
know
back
bay,
south
and
people
are
getting
a
lot
more
creative
with
these
underground
parking
systems.
If
they
have
the
means
to
do
it,
they're
doing
it.
Those
more
importantly,
as
far
as
I'm
concerned
are
you
know,
vital
to
make
sure
that
those
are
put
in
right
to
make
sure
that
those
are
constructed
right
and
those
are
waterproof,
because
you
got
an
immediate
impact
right
in
the
vicinity.
You
gotta,
basically
a
row
house
in
the
middle
of
a
block.
You
got
a
neighbor
on
either
side
of
it.
J
You
get
neighbors
across
the
street
from
you.
If
that's
put
in
and
if
that's
not
put
in
right,
you
know
you're
gonna,
be
putting
those
buildings
immediately
at
risk
right
away,
but
that's
the
whole
reason
why
we
want
her.
That's
the
whole
reason
why
the
zoning's
in
place
that's
the
whole
reason
why
isd
enforces
the
g-cod
anybody
that
digs
down
you
know
they
get
flagged
and
they
go
for
the
building.
J
You
know
the
inspectional
services
department,
when
they're
going
to
get
the
building
permit
those
two
pieces
of
of
compliance,
so
the
inch
compliance
water
intuition
is
an
approval
letter,
they're
kind
enough
to
review
the
plan
and
issue
a
approval
letter
two
paragraph
letters
stating
that
the
applicants
met
the
requirement
and
then
the
applicant,
if
they're
digging
down,
also
requires
that
that
no
harm
letter,
so
I
think,
we're
in
a
pretty
good
place.
Obviously
the
continued
funding
was
were
funded.
G
J
You
know
we're
contracting
italy
to
do
the
work
from
them.
We've
been
level
funded
since
2008.,
the
relationship
has
been
wonderful.
Relationship
has
been
wonderful
through
the
city
state,
groundwater,
working
group
and
again
that
that
that's
really
where
those
relationships
you
know,
give
us
the
ability
to
manage
this.
We're
not
an
approval
entity.
You
know
we're
not
an
authority,
you
know
we're
here
as
sort
of
a
custodian.
J
J
And
and
basically
what
this
is
is
you
know
this
was
a
porous
alley
that
was
constructed
in
in
2013
and
and
what
we
did
was
we
partnered
with
the
city
and
we
partnered
with
charles
river
to
install
a
porous
alley
in
the
south
end,
and
you
know
you
talk
about
an
example
as
to
where
you
know:
where
do
we
have
projects?
And
what
are
the
results?
Here's
you
know
exhibit
a
right
here.
This
is
a
plaque.
J
That's
on
either
end
of
the
alley
in
the
alley
in
the
south
end
in
boston.
Give
you
an
idea
where
it
is
it's
just
off
of
columbus
ave
and
it's
public
alley,
543
in
between
west
canton
and
holyoke,
and
we
were
a
stakeholder
in
this
and
what
we
were
responsible
for
was
essentially
installing
two
observation
wells
in
the
alley
to
gauge
the
effectiveness
of
the
recharge
system.
J
J
You
know
change
from
the
last
reading
that
we
had
maybe
six
weeks
ago,
because
it's
all
dependent
on
what
we
get
for
rainfall.
That's
what
feeds
the
the
groundwater
table.
So
the
more
of
these
systems
we
have
in
the
more
areas
we
have
green
infrastructure
water
getting
in
the
ground,
the
better
it's
going
to
be
for
us
boylston
street.
Again
the
city.
This
is
a
city
project
they
put
in
porous
concrete
pavers.
This
is
along
bolson
street
just
across
from
the
public
library.
J
J
Obviously
the
you
know,
the
maintenance
is
the
big
thing
like
john
mentioned,
but
yeah
the
more
these
that
we
get
in
the
better.
We're
always
happy
to
have
that
discussion
and
talk
about.
You
know
potential
projects
that
we
could
partner,
and
you
know
my
board's
always
asking
me
hey.
You
got
any
research
projects,
you
know
you're
looking
at
what's
out,
there
certainly
want
to
have
that
that
conversation
and
have
that
discussion.
A
A
H
A
A
H
So
we
we
do
talk
to
people
with
private
alleys
because
they
call
us
up
a
lot
and
if
there's
a
particular
backup
or
whatever
we
give
them
advice,
they
the
equipment
that
we
use
is
the
same
equipment.
The
private
contractors
do
and
in
general
people
get
a
hold
of
a
private
contractor,
they
go
in,
they
maintain
the
pipe.
We
do
tell
them
about
our
betterment
policy.
H
A
B
A
K
K
It's
been
a
very
interesting
hearing,
thus
far
so
just
to
relay
where
I'm
coming
from
I'm
a
property
owner
here
in
roslindale,
my
parents
bought
this
home
back
in
1985,
it's
a
multi-family
building,
so
I
was
surprised
to
learn
that
I
actually
have
a
lead
pipe
servicing
my
home,
and
so
you
can
imagine
how
I
felt
knowing
I've
been
drinking
this
water
since
1986,
but
I
have
tenants
here
and
I
expressed
interest
in
having
the
pipe
swapped
out.
People
at
boston,
water
were
very
friendly
and
helpful.
K
They
sent
folks
out
here,
and
they
did
inform
me
that
there
was
a
two
thousand
dollar
grant,
but
that
was
just
two
thousand
dollars
of
over
seven
thousand
dollar
expense
and
really
it
seemed
like
the
situation
was
assessed
for
maybe
20
minutes
and
I
just
received
a
flat
estimate
for
that
great
expense,
and
there
was
no
explanation
of
how
many
laborers
there
would
be
how
many
hours
that
might
take
how
much
the
materials
cost.
So
you
get
a
more
detailed
and
itemized
estimate
when
you
want
to
swap
out
a
faucet.
K
You
know
in
your
kitchen
sink,
but
it
just
seems
like
a
large
expense,
especially
when
I
heard
that
it
was
only
going
to
take
two
or
three
hours
of
labor,
so
I'm
not
sure
where
all
that
money
is
going.
I
suppose
that'd
be
my
first
question.
I
was
also
told
that
in
that
price
is
factored
in
a
police
detail
which
I
would
have
to
pay
for,
and
a
of
larger
concern,
I
suppose,
is
that
I
think
the
commissioner
said
that
he
was
interested
in
getting
all
the
let
out
of
boston.
K
I
mean
there
are
a
lot
of
folks
who
I
think,
are
even
property
owners
who
have
no
idea
they're
being
serviced
by
a
lead
pipe.
There
are
a
lot
of
tenants
who
do
not
know
paying
tenants
that
do
not
know
their
house
is
being
served
by
a
lead
pipe
and
as
a
landlord,
there's
no
responsibility
or
duty
upon
me
to
inform
my
tenants
that
they're
taking
their
water
from
a
lead
pipe,
and
I
am
not
required
to
swap
it
out.
K
H
When
we
price
this
out
at
the
beginning
of
each
year,
we
actually
put
out
a
public
bid
and
we
award
to
the
lowest
bidder
and
they
give
us
a
price
per
foot
to
replace
lead
on
private
property.
We
simply
take
that
number
and
that's
the
number
we
give
you.
So
if
it's
two
hundred
dollars
a
foot
and
you've
got
20
feet,
then
that's
how
we
just
multiply
that
out.
You
know
there
are.
There
are
other
costs
of
police
officers.
We
we
can't
work
on
the
city
street.
H
If
we
have
to
break
the
sidewalk,
we
have
to
pay
public
works
to
put
the
sidewalk
back.
So
we
do
detail
our
costs.
I
I'll
have
to
take
a
look
and
see
why
we
don't
give
you
that
breakdown.
That's
pretty
straightforward,
but
it's
not
like
three
labor.
Is
it
at
this
much
this
much
because
it's
already
a
preset
price
per
foot
that
we
receive
as
a
public
bid
and
that's
how
we
get
it
our
public
education
program?
H
That's
what
we're
trying
to
do
is
reach
these
tenants
because
you're
right,
if
a
landlord
says
I
don't
want
to
spend
any
money
they're
only
my
tenants.
We
need
to
reach
these
tenants
and
let
them
know
that
that
water
has
to
be
flushed
in
order
to
protect
themselves
and
that's
part
of
our
whole
public
education
program.
To
do
that.
So
that's
how
we
expect
to
get
to
that
point.
Thank.
L
L
Modern
sheetrock
hides
the
old
bricks
and
mortar,
which
are
easily
penetrated
for
those
of
you
who
haven't
had
this
experience.
This
means
that
if
the
rats
make
it
as
far
as
the
front
yard,
they
are
soon
in
our
living
spaces.
Most
of
my
neighbors
have
bait
stations,
but
it
seems
the
rats
are
not
deterred.
L
Unfortunately,
we
also
have
broken
down
stone.
Mortar
sewers,
boston,
water
and
sewer
commission
does
not
maintain
these
private
sewers
saying
the
burden
of
upgrading
falls
to
the
abutters,
but
the
butters
pay
the
same
rates
as
everyone
else,
as
as
I've
heard
here,
expecting
that
water
and
sewer
will
provide
sanitary
sewers
disposal
for
the
waste
from
our
neighborhood.
L
So
we
need
a
plan
for
neighborhood
services
and
we
need
help
figuring
out
how
to
pay
for
the
needed
improvements.
I
really
appreciate
what
I've
heard
from
councillor
flynn
that
we
need
to
be
proactive
and
from
mr
sullivan,
that
we
that
water
and
sewer
is
willing
to
work
with
our
neighbors,
because
we
have
private
alleys.
We
have
five
private
alleys
in
our
very
small
neighborhood
about
half
of
the
real
estate
is
owned
by
non-profit
organizations
which
are
clearly
not
set
up
to
do
this
building
maintenance
and
not
set
up
to
allocate
funds
for
this
purpose.
L
Probably
each
of
our
sewers
has
about
30
buildings
along
it
most
have
four
to
eight
units.
Each
some
are
condos
some
apartments.
Many
are
non-resident
owned.
So
to
organize
these
neighbors
is
a
huge
endeavor.
We
haven't
even
begun
to
figure
out
how
that
would
happen,
but
we
do
believe
that
I
should
say
my
husband
and
I
have
taken
advantage
of
the
red
paint,
the
lead
pipe
program
and
that
works
really
nicely.
You
know
we
understand
to
talk
water
sewer,
we
understood
what
the
deal
was.
L
We
signed
the
contract,
we
paid
the
price
and-
and
that
worked
fine,
but
that's
because
we're
one
building
with
one
owner
and
for
the
neighborhood
to
engage.
You
know
our
neighbors
are
not
set,
are
not
engineers,
not
community
organizers,
they
don't
know
how
to
do
this
stuff.
One
more
thing:
some
of
the
sections
of
the
alleys
are
now
paved
in
order
to
tamp
down
the
rats,
and
I
can
see
now
that
we
would
have
the
opportunity
to
do
some
green
infrastructure
there.
L
If
we
could
put
porous
pavement
there
or
maybe
even
we
wouldn't
need
pavement.
If
we
don't
have
the
rats
bottom
line,
though
we
need
help
to
develop
a
plan
to
figure
out
how
to
pay
for
it
and
we
believe
we
need.
We
deserve
modern
sewers
to
support
public
health
in
the
city.
So
thank
you.
You
can
reach
me
by
clicking
contact
us
at
chestersquare,
neighbors,
dot,
org,
carol
blair
is
the
name,
and
I
really
appreciate
this
opportunity.
A
H
One
comment
I
would
like
to
make
sure
we
all
understand
is
that
we
will
work
with
a
betterment
and
we'll
take
over
a
sewer
if
it's
a
private
alley,
that's
open
to
public
travel.
Now,
we've
seen
many
sewers
that
have
many
buildings
tied
into
them.
That
run
up
with
what
looks
to
be
private
driveways.
It's
not
open
to
public
travel
and
we
do
not
own
pipes
in
those
backyards.
A
Thank
you.
Thank
you,
john.
If
anyone
here,
if
anyone
has
any
questions,
if
they
want
to
raise
their
blue
hand,
I
received
a
email
from
a
constituent,
I'm
going
to
read
it
to
you,
john
and
and
christian.
If
you
guys
want
to
comment
on
it,
is
there
an
accurate,
accessible
database,
identifying
remaining
lead
pipes
in
water
mains
and
within
buildings
which
can
be
accessed
to
determine
where
precautions
about
lead
and
water
are
necessary?
H
So
my
comment
is:
we
do
maintain
a
map
on
our
website.
It's
it's
the
lead,
what
we
call
the
lead
map
and
if
we
know
that,
there's
a
lead
pipe
going
into
the
building
and
the
way
we
would
know
that
is
last
time
we
put
water
meters
in
we
had
the
installers
check
to
see
what
the
pipe
is.
So
they
would
tell
us
it's
a
copper
pipe.
It's
a
lid
pipe!
So
there's
over
4
000
places.
We
absolutely
know
now,
there's
a
whole
bunch
of
places.
We
don't
know-
and
that's
where
I
mentioned
before.
H
If
someone
has
that
question,
we
will
come
to
the
house
and
we
will
verify
what's
coming
through
the
through
the
wall,
whether
it's
a
lead
pipe
or
it's
a
copper
pipe.
And
now,
if
we
get
inundated
with
requests,
we
will
get
to
you,
but
we
can't
get
to
everybody
all
at
once
and
we
suspect
with
this
offering
to
come
to
your
home,
we
will
get
a
lot
of
requests,
but
that's
how
we
can
ascertain
what
we
have
for
pipes
going
into
the
homes.
A
Another
comment
that
came
in
neighborhoods,
such
as
the
south
end
bay,
village,
back
bay,
four
point:
others,
as
we
talked
about
earlier,
filled
land
that
rely
on
wood
pilings,
as
christian
was
talking
about
for
support
and
christian.
I
know
you
have
done
in
the
past
visits
to
various
neighborhood
organizations
talking
about
the
critical
role
you
play,
but
if
there's
any
leakage
of
water
pipe
damage
and
it
damages
the
wood
pilings
beneath
these
foundations.
A
J
J
Thankfully,
since
I've
been
here,
those
are
those
are
far
and
few
between
you
know.
The
the
real
reason
we
were
established
was
in
1986
prior
to
that,
in
the
flat
of
the
beacon
hill.
There
was
a
bunch
of
people
that
had
issues
with
their
buildings
and
they
had
those
settlement
issues,
and
you
had
people
saying
you
know
what's
going
on
here
and
then
it
was
yeah.
My
building's
doing
that
too,
and
all
my
building's
doing
that
too.
J
At
that
time
you
know
it
was
the
response
of
the
sea
to
create
the
trust,
and-
and
that's
really
you
know
what
we're
here
for
is
to
sort
of
walk
people
through.
What
are
you
seeing?
You
know
these
are
the
next
steps
in
the
event
that
you
know
the
building
is
is
compromised,
the
pilings
do
need
to
be
repaired.
J
It
is
right
now
it's
on
the
building
owner,
it's
the
sole
cost
of
the
building
owner
to
repair
those
pilings.
You
know
and
I'm
not
going
to
dance
around
it,
there's
no
insurance
that
covers
it.
There's
no
program
that
covers
it
right
now.
So
the
best
thing
that
we
can
do
proactively
is
monitor
these
levels
in
the
areas
that
are
low
work.
What
we
can
do
with
the
people
that
may
have
be
having
a
negative
impact.
You
know,
pipes
or
whatever
that
may
be
leaking
well.
J
That
may
even
be
having
some
pumps
in
their
basement
and
not
know
that
the
building's
on
piles-
and
they
may
have
a
sump
up
in
there,
because
they're
trying
to
keep
it
dry
anywhere
else
in
in
you
know
the
country
or
in
the
suburbs
or
anywhere
that's
fine,
because
the
building's,
mostly
on
concrete
and
you're
keeping
the
space
dry,
some
people
inadvertently
that
don't
know
the
history
of
the
city,
don't
know
the
buildings
on
pilings,
maybe
doing
damage
themselves.
So
we
had
cases
like
that
too,
where
people
are
unaware.
J
A
I
Yes,
thank
you.
Thank
you
very
much
for
organizing
this
hearing.
You
know
often
we
get
carried
away
thinking
enthusiastically
and
sometimes
with
trepidation,
about
the
digital
economy.
But
of
course,
there's
no
economy.
If
you
don't
have
a
solid
physical
infrastructure,
and
this
is
about
as
basic
as
you
can
get.
I
But
I
do
have
one
comment
about
about
our
private
alley,
which
is
that
in
this
alley
there
are
no
fire
hydrants,
and
it
strikes
me
that
that's
a
risk,
particularly
given
the
history
of
certain
fires
in
the
in
the
back
bay,
because
if
you
have
to
run
a
hose
from
the
front
of
the
building
down
an
alley
somehow
to
the
back
that
can
cause
you
to
lose
precious
minutes.
So
I
hope
that
they'll
be
found
a
way
to
to
put
fire
hydrants
along
along
backstreet.
I
I
noticed
a
number
of
bottles
behind
him,
which
I
assume
did
not
contain
boston
water,
but
something
more
interesting
to
drink,
which
gets
me
to
the
uses
of
water,
because
I
was
struck
by
the
evidence
that
usage
of
water
seems
to
have
fallen
quite
a
lot
over
the
last
over
the
last
couple
of
decades,
and
I'm
wondering
why
that
is.
Have
we
become
much
more
efficient
in
our
use
of
water?
Is
it
that
you
know
through
shower
heads
or
what
new
shower
heads
or
whatever
it
is?
I
Is
it
that
we
now
tend
to
drink
water
from
overpriced
specialized
water?
Maybe
we
could
market
a
boston,
tap
water,
something
like
aqua
de
boston
or
uttar
bostner,
because
I
find
it
personally
very
refreshing
and
when
I
grew
up.
Certainly
we
had
most
of
our
water
intake
was
tap
water
and
it
was
refreshing
it
was
clean
and
it
was
safe,
and
perhaps
people
should
do
more
of
that,
rather
than
rely
upon
these
sometimes
overpriced
bottles
that
we
then
walk
around
with
and
throw
away
contributing
to
the
plastic.
I
Excessive
plastic
waste,
so
these
are
just
a
few
comments
and
I
say
a
question
how
we
could
make
sure
that
we
get
fire
hydrants
on
some
of
these
private
alleys,
that
that
may
may
be
important
to
make
it
more
possible
to
fight
some
of
the
fires
which,
which
occur
more
efficiently
and
rapidly.
Thank
you.
H
H
Is
there
a
way
you
can
do
it
without
undertaking
this
very
expensive
cost
on
the
back
of
the
public,
and
they
took
a
look
at
it
and
said:
okay
now
we
understand
you
can't
do
it
if
the
public
main
was
there,
they
would
already
be
on,
and
so
the
fire
department
acquiesced
and
said
fine.
We
can
fight
these
fires
as
long.
H
There's
nothing
back
there.
We
can
lay
the
the
hoses
down
there
so
that
that
was
brought
up
to
us
and
we
did
look
at
it,
but
that's
where
that
sits
the
as
far
as
the
use
of
water.
You
know
the
building
codes
have
changed.
You
can't
buy
toilets
and
use
five
gallons
a
minute
per
flush,
and
that's
where
most
of
your
water
is
going
anyway,
they're
1.5
liter.
H
So
because
of
the
way
the
systems
have
been
built-
and
this
is
good
because
you
saw
that
we
now
have
water.
We
can
support
the
city
for
years
to
come
and
if
we
have
a
major
drought,
we'll
all
be
able
to
make
it
get
through
it,
because
the
plumbing
standards
have
been
have
been
decreasing.
The
amount
of
water
that
these
fixtures
can
use
your
shower
heads
another
example.
H
They
finally
made
them
that
you
feel
like
you're,
getting
a
lot
of
water,
but
it's
not
wasting
the
water
that
we
used
to
waste
and-
and
so
that's
a
very
positive
outcome
and
the
fact
that
people
are
more
conscious
about
their
water
people
pay
attention
to
it.
You
know
children
are
scolded
by
their
parents
about
running
the
water
when
they're
brushing
their
teeth.
H
I've
heard
rumors
that
husbands
may
get
scolded
when
they're
running
the
water,
when
they're,
shaving
and-
and
I
have
real
life
proof
of
that,
so
there
there
is
that
that's
gone
on
as
a
public
would
become
more
educated.
We
we
understand
it
better,
but
it's
really
the
building
codes
that
control
that.
A
C
Yeah
sue
thanks
for
taking
my
call,
and
I
thanks
for
organizing
this
counselor
flynn,
I'd
like
to
speak
further
about
on
the
betterment
process,
john
sullivan
and
I
know
each
other
because
because
we
have
a
private
sewer
and
we
have
started
this
and
he's
worked
with
us
and
overall,
the
process
has
been
pretty
well.
The
bwsc
has
done
what
they've
promised
to
do,
but
but
here's
the
thing
I
think
we
have
one
of
the
largest
private
sewers
in
the
south
end.
C
Maybe
the
city
we
have
16
buildings
and
78
residential
units
using
one
private,
sewer
and
organizing
all
these
people
is
tough,
a
lot
of
them
a
lot
of
the
residents
rent
from
landlords
that
live
out
of
the
city.
And,
frankly,
I
don't
think
these
landlords
necessarily
are
interested
in
the
costs
of
maintaining
a
sewer
for
a
lot
of
residents.
It
came
as
a
shock
that
they
were
responsible
for
private
sewer.
C
This
is
never
disclosed
in
real
estate
transactions,
and
so
when
our
betterment
got
to
the
stage
of
the
engineering
report,
we
got
a
final
price
of
eleven
thousand
four
hundred
dollars
per
residential
unit,
and
that's
just
too
many
for
a
lot
of
people
and
I
delayed.
I
asked
for
a
delay
for
the
final
hearing.
C
Frankly,
because
I
I
was
worried,
we
wouldn't
have
enough
people
to
actually
show
up
at
the
hearing
and
that
we'd
have
enough
interest
in
the
in
the
betterment
to
see
it
go
through
because
of
these
costs
and
because
people
are
coming
from
very
different
directions.
You
know
for
how
they
feel
about
this,
and-
and
so
you
know
at
the
end,
you
know
we're
we're
left
in
a
situation.
Where
do
you
try
to
wrangle
people
and
convince
them
that
75
of
the
cost
of
this
for
a
new
sewer?
C
Putting
that
down
now
is
good
for
the
future.
Or
do
you
wait
for
the
inevitable
catastrophe
and
then
we're
all
going
to
be
on
the
hook
for
100
of
the
cost?
And
so
that's
that's.
What
I'm
trying
to
wrestle
and
educate
my
neighbors
about,
but
there's
a
lot
of
them,
and
it's
it's
tough.
I
have
to
say
it's
tough.
I
just
wanted
to
comment
on
that
process.
They've
been
pretty
good
partners
about
it
so
far,
it's
just
I!
H
Yeah,
well,
I
agree
with
eric
and-
and
it's
been
actually
very
good
working
with
eric
he's
done
a
lot
of
the
leg
work,
as
I
mentioned
before,
we
have
agreed
that
we
would
pick
up
that
leg
work,
so
volunteers,
such
as
derek,
would
not
have
to
try
to
chase
everyone
down.
That
doesn't
mean
we
can
convince
anybody
to
do
something.
It
is
a
shock
to
most
people,
because
if
they
can
flush,
it
goes
away.
Life
is
pretty
good
at
the
day
that
it
doesn't
go
away.
Then
it's
a
problem.
H
You
know
an
investment
of
11
000
is
tough
if
you've
got
to
come
up
with
it
right
away,
but
we
can
put
together
payment
plans
where
it's
significantly
less
over
a
period
of
time
that
doesn't
make
it
any
better,
but
there
is
that
possibility
and
then
once
we
build
that
sewer
and
in
places
like
in
the
south
end,
we
also
build
for
the
rain
water
infiltration
systems.
Once
we
build
that
we
own
it,
we
own
that
sewer.
There
is
no
more
maintenance
anymore
in
the
future.
H
You
when
you
go
to
sell
it,
you
can
say
the
city
owns
this,
they
maintain
it
and
when
it
needs
replacement
which
it
will
someday,
they
will
come
in
and
replace
it
it's
their
problem.
So
I
I
don't
know
what
else
to
say:
we
have
been
working
with
derrick,
it
has
been
a
pleasure
and
I
would
like
to
see
the
thing
move
forward
and
I'm
not
sure
what
the
next
move
is
but
derek.
You
certainly
can
call
me
and
we
can
chat
about
it
tomorrow.
A
Yeah,
thank
you,
john.
That
would
be
that'd
be
very
helpful
if
we
could
continue
that
conversation,
I'm
gonna
go
go
for
a
second
round
with
my
colleagues.
I
think
my
only
colleague
on
right
now
is
councillor
block
council
block.
Do
you
have
any
final
comments
or
or
questions
before
before
I
ask
the
panelists
to
conclude.
H
Yes,
it's
not
uncommon
for
people
to
abandon
public
ways
through
the
public
improvement
commission.
When
that
occurs,
we
get
an
easement,
so
we
secure
rights
to
be
able
to
go
in
there
and
fix
that
sewer
whenever
we
need
to
in
the
future,
and
it's
not
an
uncommon
practice
at
all.
With
all
a
lot
of
this
redevelopment,
you
can't
change
where
the
sewer
goes.
It's
got
to
flow
downhill
and
it's
got
to
go
in
one
direction.
H
F
That
was
thank
you
just
curious
and
and
yeah.
Thank
you
so
much
for
your
work,
like
I
said
at
the
start,
this
is
just
so
fundamental
to
our
city
and
we
yeah.
We
all
have
to
do
everything
we
can
fiscally
and
in
your
departments
in
terms
of
your
day-to-day
work,
to
safeguard
it.
So
thank
you.
Thank
you,
mr
chairman.
A
A
Some
of
the
concerns
were
already
discussed,
but
I'm
going
to
go
through
the
public
testimony
and
if
there's
any
specific
questions
that
we
haven't
asked
tonight,
I'm
gonna
send
them
to
you,
john
and
christian,
and
maybe
we
can
get
a
response
back
to
the
back
to
the
residents.
But
having
said
that
christian,
would
you
like
to
conclude
with
final
comments
before
we
conclude
the
meeting.
J
Sure,
just
briefly,
jumping
on
john's
note
about
backstreet
and
putting
in
the
recharge
system,
you
know
water
and
sewer
and
the
repairs
that
sewers
that
they
have.
You
know
you
mentioned
the
insulation,
recharge
galleys,
and
you
know
those
big
galleys
that
they
put
in
backstreet
actually
raised
the
groundwater
table
over
the
past
10
years,
almost
three
feet
on
average
to
all
the
wells.
So
you
know
putting
in
these
systems
the
more
they're
fed
the
more
rain
water
that
falls,
the
more
water
we
get
in
the
ground,
the
more
leaks
we
fix.
J
All
that's
going
to
have
a
positive
impact
on
the
water
table,
and
you
know
the
more
research
systems
are
better.
You
know
counselor.
Obviously
this
is
directed
both
counselors,
obviously,
all
counselors.
If
there's
any
association,
neighborhood
group,
anybody
that
reaches
out
to
you
with
questions
you're
more
than
happy
to
connect
with
them
and
and
have
a
discussion
review,
it
is
what
we
do.
That's
that's
part.
K
H
Well,
it
just
makes
sure
that
everyone
understands
that
the
men
and
women
of
the
boss,
water
sewer,
are
here
to
serve
them.
You
know
and,
like
I
said,
we're
a
silent
service.
So
generally
you
don't
hear
from
us
if
we're
doing
our
job
right
and
everything's
working
director,
henry
vitale
makes
sure
that
everyone
knows
it
works
for
the
commission,
that's
their
job,
they're
there
to
serve,
and-
and
we
also
understand
and
get
a
lot
of
support
from
our
commissioners
and
the
mayor
for
all
the
work
we
do
so
you
know
we're
very
appreciative.
H
Anybody
feel
free
to
call
us
I'd,
love
those
phone
numbers
questions
about
lead.
We
will
get
back
to
you.
We
will
take
care
of
it,
we're
here
to
give
you
the
best
water
in
the
world,
we're
here
to
make
sure
the
climate,
the
future
for
your
kids
are
going
to
be
awesome
in
the
city,
because
it
is
an
unbelievable
city.
A
Thank
you,
john.
Thank
you
christian.
I
just
want
to
conclude
by
saying
thank
you
to
thank
you
to
john
in
the
dedicated
team
at
the
boston
water
and
saw
commission,
and
thank
you
to
christian
and
the
ground
boston,
groundwater
trust
they
do
exceptional,
exceptional
work
as
well,
and
one
of
the
someone
from
the
public
testified
about
the
importance
of
this
issue.
A
I
like
doing
on
a
in
the
summertime
when
it's
100
degrees
on
a
saturday
than
stopping
my
car
and
seeing
the
water
and
sewer
workers
that
are
that
are
that
are
doing
tremendous
job
in
our
city.
I
love
talking
to
them.
They
take
their
job
very
seriously,
they're
very
professional
and
they
represent
what
the
city
is.
All
about
is
just
doing
the
nuts
and
bolts
and
delivering
basic
city
services
to
the
residents
and
that's
what
our
constituents
expect
of
us
and
I
wanted
to
highlight
the
professional
work
that
the
water
and
soar
team
does.
A
I
also
wanted
to
say
thank
you
to
henry
vitale.
I
want
to
say
thank
you
to
mayor
walsh
and
my
colleagues,
my
colleagues
as
well,
for
taking
this
issue
very
seriously
and,
having
said
that,
I
want
to
thank
the
public
for
testifying
I'm
going
to
keep
this
hearing
in
committee
and
maybe
sometime
in
february
or
march.
I
may
have
another
hearing
on
this
as
well.
A
I
wanted
to
say
thank
you
to
kerry
and
juan
from
central
staff
for
being
here
tonight
for
working
hard,
almost
until
seven
o'clock,
and
I
appreciate
the
professional
work
that
the
city
council,
central
staff
has
done
as
well.
So
having
said
that,
thank
you,
john
thank
you
christian,
and
thank
you
to
my
and
thank
you
to
my
colleagues
in
the
boston
city
council.